Rain Garden: Slowing Pollution at Its Source: Play Now | Download (216)
In spring 2012, the City of Elk Grove, a community just south of Sacramento, California, opened a rain garden that is a magnet for wildlife, prevents pollution from running off into local streams, and an important tool to teach others about how use similar earth-friendly techniques in their own yard. Paul Mewton, Chief of Planning, Cosumnes Community Services District, and Greg Gearheart, State Water Resources Control Board, discuss this innovative park and how land use in the Central Valley still impacts our coast and ocean.
Saturday, September 15 is the Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state’s largest volunteer event. In 2011, nearly 72,000 volunteers removed more than 1.3 million pounds of trash and recyclables from California beaches, lakes and waterways. For this year, debris from the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami is bringing more attention to the important issue of marine debris. Eben Schwartz, marine debris program manager for the California Coastal Commission, talks about the 28th annual cleanup and how you can participate. (Photo credit: California Coastal Commission)
What is this threat and how can it affect our ocean world? What does it mean for organisms such as sea urchins? Dr. Gretchen Hofmann, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of California Santa Barbara, discusses her work with Ocean Acidification and why we should pay attention. (Photos courtesy of NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
The Pacific Gyre is a slowly moving, clockwise spiral of ocean currents. We talked with Marcus Eriksen, the executive director of the 5 Gyres Institute, about ocean gyres and the Pacific Garbage Patch, said to be twice the size of Texas, floating between Hawaii and California. (Photo courtesy of NOAA Marine Debris Program)
On March 11, 2011, a powerful tsunami hit Japan, destroying cities and villages, and carrying tons of debris out to sea. Ocean currents are projected to carry some of that debris to U.S. shores, including the West Coast. It’s uncertain what is still floating, where it’s located, where it will go, and when it will arrive. Nir Barnea, West Coast Regional Director, NOAA Marine Debris Program, has the latest information.
California Coastal Cleanup Day [3:42m]: Play Now | Download (407)
California Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual beach and inland waterway cleanup held on the third Saturday of September, is the state’s largest volunteer event. Shannon Waters, California Coastal Commission Public Education Program Assistant, lets you know how you and your group can be part of the solution to marine pollution by getting involved in Coastal Cleanup Day! (Photo courtesy of John Eagle)
With Memorial Day Weekend, the “unofficial” start of summer, we highlight ways to thank the ocean for our beautiful beaches. Brian Baird, Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, discusses everyday actions we can take to help clean up our coasts and ocean. Actor and activist Edward James Olmos adds his powerful Thank You Ocean message, “Don’t Trash the Beach.”
Oil Spills in San Francisco Bay: Preparing a Better Response: Play Now | Download (748)
This Thank You Ocean Report highlights excerpts from the “Oil Spills in San Francisco Bay: Preparing a Better Response” conference sponsored by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership on May 11, 2010. | Click here to view .mp4 video in larger player
Governors Take Action Toward Ocean Health: Play Now | Download (1824)
In July 2008, the Governors of California, Oregon and Washington released a West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health Action Plan that identified common ocean and coastal management priorities. Brian Baird, Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, offers an update about this joint effort to protect and manage the vast marine resources shared by California, Oregon and Washington.
ACID TEST: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification: Play Now | Download (783)
ACID TEST, a film produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council, was made to raise awareness about the largely unknown problem of ocean acidification, which poses a fundamental challenge to life in the seas and the health of the entire planet. NRDC’s Lisa Suatoni talks about the film.
California Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual beach and inland waterway cleanup held on the third Saturday of September, is the state’s largest volunteer event. Shannon Waters, California Coastal Commission Public Education Program Assistant, lets you know how you and your group can be part of the solution to marine pollution by getting involved in Coastal Cleanup Day! (Photo courtesy of John Eagle)
ACID TEST, a film produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council, was made to raise awareness about the largely unknown problem of ocean acidification, which poses a fundamental challenge to life in the seas and the health of the entire planet. NRDC’s Lisa Suatoni talks about the film.
